Friday, January 23, 2026 – Definitely deprived of the mainsail
It was 9 p.m. on Thursday, January 22, when, during a gybe maneuver to round the island of Terceira in the Azores, the head of the mainsail on the IDEC SPORT maxi trimaran tore. This same mainsail had already torn in the middle during a similar maneuver on Thursday morning, forcing Alexia and her crew to lower the sail to the second reef.
They planned to reach Ushant and the finish line in this configuration, which was perfectly suited to the stormy conditions prevailing over the 1,000-odd miles still to be covered. They will now sail exclusively under their wing mast (30m2) and their headsails.
It was under these sails that they performed a series of gybes during the night to round the island of Ponta Delgada this morning and leave the Azores in their wake, continuing on their way to the Iberian Peninsula.
Conditions in the area, on the southern edge of the depression, are as forecast, with winds of over 35 knots strengthening and a sea already well formed with waves of over 6 meters coming from the northwest, which will continue to grow over the next 24 hours.
An unfriendly day lies ahead for the crew. At a slow pace, propelled only by their mast and headsail, Alexia Barrier, Dee Caffari, Annemieke Bes, Rebecca Gmür Hornell, Deborah Blair, Molly LaPointe, Támara Echegoyen, and Stacey Jackson will hammer away until they see Ushant and complete their round-the-world voyage on the evening of Monday, January 26, or even on the morning of Tuesday, January 27.
Excerpt from an article by The Famous Project CIC
Follow the adventure on IDEC SPORT social media and via the comprehensive map =>> https://trimaran-idec.geovoile.com/julesverne/2025/viewer/
